Aimé Jacquet’s phone should heat up this Thursday. The former coach of the France team is in fact celebrating his 84th birthday and there is little doubt that many of the former Blues from 1998 will send a call or a message. The main architect of the Blues’ victory at the World Cup, the former Bordeaux player has the respect, and even more, of all his players, first and foremost his former captain.
“Eternal respect for Aimé”, Didier Deschamps confided in front of the Téléfoot cameras last winter, with Thierry Henry taking action by describing a coach “listening to his troops, respecting each player”. “He was able to give us confidence, convince us that everything was possible if we respected the collective and if everyone contributed their part to the team,” continued the current boss of the Blues.
Like these two former executives of the France team, the Blues have always been rave about their former coach. Bixente Lizarazu even had tears in her eyes on Michel Drucker’s couch while talking about Aimé Jacquet.
Aimé Jacquet, “an outstanding leader of men”
“Six months before the World Cup, I was still in the hole. I had pubalgia and struggled with it for almost a year and a half. However, Aimé Jacquet always called me. He came to see me in Munich and he told me to do whatever it takes in terms of care and recovery to get back to 100% and be his left back.”he said, adding: “It’s in these moments that you know who you can count on. »
Fabien Barthez has also been particularly complimentary in the past when discussing the hero of the man behind the 98 coronation. “Aimé was the main architect of the World Cup victory. He was an outstanding leader of men and knew how to persuade us that we could win this star. Even when we were having difficulties during the preparation. We had faith in ourselves,” he explained. A faith that has never faded in a quarter of a century.
“Aimé Jacquet, he was a protector, he took all the blows. We all know that we owe him a lot,” for his part said Alain Boghossian, eternally grateful for the one who knew how to transform the image of the Blues.
